Laura Pasternak has been named to the Board of Howard EcoWorks, a Columbia-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to empowering communities and diverse workforces to respect and restore the region’s natural systems for future generations.

“We’re excited to add Laura’s expertise to the Board and look forward to her contribution to the cause,” said Bill Withers, Breakthrough Coach at Phillips Corporation and Co-Chair of the nonprofit. “I have worked with Laura for over ten years and seen firsthand the impact her insight and energy bring to organizations.”

“When I received the call from Bill, I knew little about EcoWorks,” said Pasternak, Principal of Harford-based consulting firm MarketPoint LLC. “But it didn’t take long to recognize this was an excellent opportunity for me to give back to the people of central Maryland, who have so generously supported my business for 20 years.”

While many celebrate 2020 as the beginning of a new decade in the Common Era (though the Gregorian Calendar clearly gives that distinction to the year 2021), we see it as the year MarketPoint will turn 20.

So, as we begin to celebrate our twentieth year, we thought it would be appropriate to list 20 high points and 20 low points of the first two decades in the 21st century. We have tried to exclude wars, mass shootings, and purely political issues, to provide a more balanced view of world history. The end result, though neither exhaustive nor definitive, is intended to provide a glimpse into the events that helped form our world, as we worked with clients to build their futures.

Please take a minute to reflect with us on the events of the past 19 years. Read more

Last weekend, the American Quilter’s Society displayed hundreds of hand-made quilts at the Lancaster County Convention Center. The show was visually overwhelming, featuring craftsmen (actually, mostly craftswomen) from around the U.S. and abroad.

Each of these artists could rightfully claim their works were one-of-a-kind – yet, that distinction alone carries no financial value. All handmade items are unique. It is the level of craftsmanship that differentiates one quilt from another, and the details of that craftsmanship can raise the value of a quilt by thousands of dollars.

Though the words “hand-made” and “one-of-a-kind” will be spoken innumerable times at such an event, they do not constitute a Unique Selling Proposition (USP). Read more

Recently, I came across a LinkedIn post that railed against crowdsourcing and its negative impact on freelance design, in particular. The author’s point was simple enough: Crowdsourcing sites (like DesignCrowd, Crowdspring, 99designs, and countless others) run contests in which graphic designers compete by submitting what they believe is the best design solution to a challenge brought by a client. The winner gets paid; the losers usually get nothing. This exploits those who participate and are not chosen and drives down the market price of design projects for all designers.

https://yourmarketpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/personal-3286018_1920.jpg12801920Michael Zimmermanhttps://yourmarketpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Logo-Reverse-275x76.jpgMichael Zimmerman2019-02-12 15:51:412019-03-19 14:40:32Frustrated by Crowdsourcing? Get Used to It.

George Wurtzel is blind. But that doesn’t stop him from teaching woodworking at Lighthouse San Francisco and Enchanted Hills Camp for the Blind. And why should it?

“Just because you can’t do it doesn’t mean that I can’t do it,” laughs George. “I can’t run a four-minute mile. There are some people who can, but don’t tell me that I can’t do it. Give me the tools. Give me the opportunities. Give me the education. Give me the accommodation that I need and let me try and fail on my own.”

Saying “please” and “thank you” seems to be a lost art. At least that’s the conclusion you might have drawn, had you joined us for Halloween. Children wandered up and down the sidewalks, barely making eye contact with one another – some talking on their smartphones, some listening to music through their earbuds – and as they stuffed treats into their plastic pumpkins and trick-or-treat bags, less than half bothered to say, “thank you.” Read more

A great deal is being written about account-based marketing (ABM), and for good reason. ABM is revolutionizing business-to-business sales.

The concept is quite simple, combining traditional account-based selling techniques with multiple traditional and digital communications channels and usually leveraging digital automation. Strategically, ABM is nothing more than a modern application of the age-old marketing principle, “put the right message in front of the right audience, at the right place and time.” It is the latest iteration in B2B marketing, brought on by increasing levels of isolation and numbness among decision-makers. Read more

On the surface, one might wonder whether being perceived as “less German” is, as far as strategies go, about 73 years behind history. Let’s not forget that Volkswagen once made the transition from “the German people’s car” to a friendly global brand in the wake of Adolf Hitler’s demise. Read more